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 Today I received
4 Small Wheels 6/2003. As a long time subscriber and a long time
Ferrari model collector I would like to react on 2 Ferraris you
probably could not cope with.
To begin: Provence Moulage
PM2822 Ferrari 408 is one of two only all wheel drive Ferraris.
In 1987 Ferrari built
two 4WD prototypes. The first one had a stainless frame and was
red-coloured, the second had an aluminium frame and was yellow.
The frame was made by TVSA which stands for “Technique de véhicule
à structure d’aluminium”. This frame, inclusive
engine, can be seen in the Galleria Ferrari Museum in Modena. I
attach a picture of both versions. The body was not designed by
Bertone but by Ferrari technicians themselves. The first proto was
released by Starter in the old days and Alezan still has the second
one in their programme - but the new PM kit looks more accurate
to me.
The next model, Ferrari Nembo Coupe (MR Collection MRC120), has
chassis nr. 1623GT and was built on a Pininfarina coupe chassis
by Carrozzeria Neri & Bonacini - hence the name Nembo. They
created the car in 1964.
The photo shows it at the Brooks Gstaad Auction 1999 and it is actually
for sale now! - follow the link http://www.auto-salon
-singen.de /Cars/Ferrari_ 250GT_Nembo.htm
Keep up the good work,
Joop van Der Meer, Beekbergen, The Netherlands
Our thanks to the many of you who put us straight
on the 408 in particular. From the previous kit releases we were
aware of the existence of the two versions but couldn’t find
them anywhere in our very extensive library!
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A quick comment on the
Maserati 151 on the front cover FSW 06-2003, I think the Maserati
mechanics would have thought they had died and gone to heaven if
the car had looked like that, so highly polished as if fresh out
of the showroom. The truth was it was ****** rough, the paint finish
looked like it had been applied by a distemper brush, very dull
and scruffy. I was there and I looked up a colour pic I took, the
model depicted is probably what Maserati would have liked it to
be.
I was there for that Le Mans race, the same race that saw the first
appearance of the GT 40 Ford at the Sarthe. It would be nice if
Profil 24 made a kit of the Aston Martin Project cars 212, 214 and
215 of the same period, they would complement the Maseratis of the
period well. Regards, Phil Kimberley, Victoria Park, Australia
The kits should be here very soon so have
your distemper brush at the ready!
Just a quick
note to report the safe arrival of the three built models of your
most recent shipment to me. In spite of the shipping box looking
a bit worse for the wear, the contents were intact. Extra precautions
had been taken to prevent the models from separating from their
bases, and for this I thank you.
The Look Smart Giulia
Veloce GT 1750 offers tremendous value. Near perfect finish and
assembly; very nice. Even the exhaust tip is hollow!
The Fadini “City
of Burbank” is truly stunning. One small speck of dust in the
clear finish cannot detract from an otherwise flawless model. This
is my first Fadini model, but definitely not my last!
The Southern Cross 450S
has a most realistic finish, and very precise assembly of the delicate
details. Even the wiper blades are black! First ordered in Oct of
2001, it was a long time coming but well worth the wait. I was also
very pleased to receive low issue number (5 of 100). Prohibitively
expensive though
A costly shipment, yes;
but some of the nicer pieces in my collection. I am very pleased.
Thank you. Regards, Doug Martin, Minnesota, USA
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Dear Sir,
I don’t agree with
the review concerning the Tamiya Focus of Duval/Fortin (TAM24261).
I quote :”...Most of the details are pretty accurate but the
wheels appear to be wrong for France...”
First of all it is common
knowledge that rally cars drive with a lot of different sets of
tyres and wheels. To state that the wheels of a kit are wrong, based
on one single picture is a very dangerous thing in the world of
rally cars... Teams really don’t care about letting the car
drive around for 3 days in a row with the exact same wheels, they
often use different kinds and types during one day. I have seen
enough rallies and service points to say so, believe me. And to
prove that the wheels of the Tamiya kit are perfectly alright (and
you don’t need to order the expensive Renaissance aftermarket
ones) I enclose this picture of that same Focus in Corsica :
I am always very pleased with the good reviews in FSW, and I often
make my decisions based on them, but when they are wrong people
are entitled to know...
Yours sincerely, Guy Golsteyn, Belgium
Thank you for the correction and photo. We are well aware that wheels
change during rallies and have often commented to this effect, a
few years ago Makinen drove a Mitsubishi with at least three styles
of wheel on the car, at the same time! Our comment on this kit was
not purely based on the box top but on photos in Autosport, Auto
Hebdo, Rallycourse, Pirelli World Rallying and the Rally Yearbook,
all of which showed a different style. We stand corrected!
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When checking the accuracy
of this year’s Le Mans kits, you can tell who did their homework
from those who didn’t by checking for this (Stefan Johansson)
horseshoe decal (featured on both cockpit sides) on the Champion
Racing Audi
R8...
regards,
Tim Crete, West Palm Beach, USA
Dear Sir,
I am currently building
a collection of 1:43rd models - The History of Grand Prix cars 1901-1999
which I would like to eventually donate to the Donnington Collection.
The collection would be incomplete without the 1926 Delage GP (no.4)
and if no-one is to produce it I will have to scratch build it.
I have already scratch-built many of the 1914 French GP cars; Peugeot,
Mercedes, Vauxhall.
I have filled many other
gaps in my collection with relatively cheap die-casts suitably improved
or converted. Dismantle a Brumm or any other die-cast model and
you have a set of parts i.e. a kit! Please find enclosed a photo
of some of the other pre-war cars that I have created.
Race number 4 - 1905
Wolseley and no.12 - 1906 Hotchkiss are scratch built, while the
rest are conversions of die-cast parts. They are:-
3A Itala 1907
9A Renault 1906
F2 Fiat 1907
16 Locomobile 1906
27 Opel 1908
34 Austin 1908
35 Mercedes 1908
Yours sincerely,
Mark Slota, Halifax, England
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